MUMBAI: In a decision that may impact the international airport coming up at Navi Mumbai, the Bombay high court on Thursday struck down a state government order acquiring a farmer's land in Targhar village, Panvel.

Hearing a petition filed by farmer Hemantkumar Lad, a division bench of Chief Justice Manjula Chellur and Justice Girish Kulkarni quashed a 2015 order to acquire 1,800 square metres of his ancestral land.

Advocate Rahul Thakur, counsel for Lad, had argued that though the authorities had issued a notice for acquiring his land in June 2012, the actual order was passed only in April 2015. Under the rules, the final order should have come within two years. In Lad's case, there was a 10-month delay.

"If more such similarly placed farmers approach the court, Cidco which has acquired the land will be in a difficult situation," said Thakur. More cases could delay the project, or worse, Cidco, the nodal authority for the airport, would have to initiate fresh acquisition proceedings. This could lead to a steep escalation in the project's cost since land acquisition rates have been hiked, and could even possibly lead to the project becoming unviable.

Lad's entire Targhar village has been acquired for the airport. A portion of the runway and a fuel tank is to come up on the land. Under the old land acquisition law, Lad got Rs 54,000. If Cidco were to initiate fresh acquisition proceedings under the new Land Acquisition Act that came into force in 2013, the owner of land in a rural area would have to be paid twice the market rate plus 100% solatium (additional compensation as consolation), said Thakur. This could result in the compensation being four times the market price and could run into a few crores. In addition, 20% of developed land will have to be given to him in another location.